A swirl of gas and dust hangs around the young star HD 135344B, 440 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. Inside that haze, astronomers have spotted telltale spirals that most theories link to the tug of a growing world. 



Now, fresh images from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (<a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VLT</a>) point to a compact object exactly where one of those spirals begins. That bright signal, embedded deep in the disc, is likely a planet <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-catch-exact-moment-when-planets-form-around-a-star-hops-315/">still gathering mass</a>.



Many teams have chased such a sight, yet clear proof has stayed just out of reach. A planet is small and faint compared with the glare of its star, and the surrounding dust adds another curtain. 



The new observations slice through that curtain with the sharpest infrared vision yet, revealing what looks like a cosmic sculptor caught in the act.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-a-newborn-star-feeds">How a newborn star feeds</h2>



“We will never witness the formation of Earth, but here, around a young star 440 light-years away, we may be watching a planet come into existence in real time,” says Francesco Maio of the <a href="https://www.unifi.it/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Florence</a>, lead author of the study published in <a href="https://www.aanda.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a>. 



The team used ERIS, the VLT’s newest infrared imager and spectrograph, to zero in on the inner disc.



The suspected planet sits about as far from HD 135344B as Neptune does from the Sun - roughly 2.8 billion miles. 



Models suggest it already holds twice the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-jupiter-discovered-in-the-great-bear-constellation/">mass of Jupiter</a>. At that heft, it can carve lanes in the surrounding gas, forcing material into striking spiral arms that wind outward across the disc.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spiral-clues-from-hd-135344b">Spiral clues from HD 135344B</h2>



Spirals first turned up in 2018 images captured by the earlier <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/sphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SPHERE instrument</a>. 



Theory predicted that a hidden planet would lurk at the base of one arm, shepherding dust the way a snowplow makes ridges on a road. ERIS has now revealed a pin-bright knot right on that spot.



“What makes this detection potentially a turning point is that, unlike many previous observations, we are able to directly detect the signal of the protoplanet, which is still highly embedded in the disc,” says Maio, now based at Italy’s <a href="https://www.arcetri.inaf.it/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory</a>. 



“This gives us a much higher level of confidence in the planet’s existence, as we’re observing the planet’s own light.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hd-135344b-vs-v960-mon">HD 135344B vs. V960 Mon</h2>



The same instrument has also probed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-revelation-new-image-sheds-light-on-the-birth-of-giant-planets/">V960 Mon</a>, a star that surprised astronomers in 2014 when it flared almost overnight. Such outbursts define a rare class called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-orion-erupting-fuor-stars-solved-after-100-years/">FU Orionis</a> objects. 



The sudden brightening happens when a heap of gas plummets onto the star, releasing energy like a campfire fed fresh wood.



Earlier snapshots from SPHERE and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (<a href="https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ALMA</a>) showed that V960 Mon’s disc is laced with multiple spirals and dense clumps - hallmarks of gravitational instability. 



This process can cause parts of a disc to collapse under their own weight, potentially giving birth to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-brown-dwarfs-discovered-inside-the-flame-nebula/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brown dwarfs</a> or gas-giant planets far from the central star.



Using ERIS, a separate team led by Anuroop Dasgupta of ESO and <a href="https://diegoportalesuniversity.udp.cl/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diego Portales University</a> detected a warm, compact source tucked beside one of those spirals. 



“That work revealed unstable material but left open the question of what happens next. With ERIS, we set out to find any compact, luminous fragments signaling the presence of a companion in the disc - and we did,” says Dasgupta. 



The newcomer might be a forming planet or a brown dwarf, but whichever it is, the object offers a rare snapshot of collapse in progress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-hd-135344b-matters">Why HD 135344B matters</h2>



Planet formation usually follows the slower core-accretion route: dust grains stick together, build rocks, then grow into full-sized planets over millions of years. 



Gravitational instability, by contrast, can whip up a gas giant in a few thousand years, especially in the chilly outskirts of a massive disc. The candidate around V960 Mon is prime evidence that instability sometimes wins the race.



The planet inside HD 135344B’s disc highlights a different stage. Here, the disc is stable enough that a single hefty planet sculpts spirals as it circles the star. 



By catching the object while it still glows in infrared, astronomers can test how quickly such worlds capture gas and clear lanes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tools-that-sharpen-the-view">Tools that sharpen the view</h2>



The <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/eris/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ERIS instrument</a> on the VLT combines adaptive optics with a sensitive detector that covers a wavelength range where warm dust shines brightest. It builds on the legacy of SPHERE, which excels at high-contrast imaging closer to visible light. 



ALMA fills in longer wavelengths, mapping cold dust and molecular gas. Together, the trio can track both the scaffolding and the newborn objects inside.



Future upgrades promise even finer detail. The next-generation Extremely Large Telescope (<a href="https://elt.eso.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ELT</a>), set to open in the late 2020s, will have a main mirror 128 feet across, four times wider than any existing optical telescope. 



Its first-light instruments should spot planets smaller than Saturn inside nearby discs and measure their mass through the tiny wobbles they induce in gas lanes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-stars-and-bright-knots">Young stars and bright knots</h2>



Confirming the true nature of the bright knots around both stars will take time. Astronomers need to watch how the signals move. 



A bound planet will trace a steady orbit; a transient dust clump will disperse. Follow-up spectra can also reveal whether the light comes from hot gas falling onto a solid core or simply from heated dust.



No single discovery rewrites the story of how worlds emerge, yet each new image adds weight to ideas once left to computer simulations. 



By pairing sharper instruments with long-term monitoring, researchers are starting to catch planets in their messy, luminous infancy rather than piecing the tale together after the fact.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/J6SgH5LsG2I?si=IMEYFsKFwQLkOkop
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Zooming into the young star HD 135344B and its planet candidate. Credit: ESO</figcaption></figure>



The full study was published in the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ade996" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astrophysical Journal Letters</a>.



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Astronomers capture a new planet during the final stages of its formation process

A swirl of gas and dust hangs around the young star HD 135344B, 440 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. Inside that haze, astronomers have spotted telltale spirals that most theories link to the tug of a growing world. Now, fresh images from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) point to a compact object exactly where one of those spirals begins. That bright signal, embedded deep in the disc, is likely a planet still gathering mass. Many teams have chased such a sight, yet clear...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a> has revealed how invasive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-have-a-memory-of-drought/">plants</a> are posing a new threat to critically endangered flying foxes on Christmas Island. The researchers found that introduced plant species reduce the nutritional value of the flying foxes' diets.  

The researchers collected and analyzed 125 native and non-native plant samples, representing the most common plants on which the Christmas Island flying fox feeds. The analysis showed that the nutritional content of the flying foxes' diets do not provide a balanced meal.

"Compared to native fruit, introduced fruit had significantly more carbohydrates but lower mineral concentrations," said study lead author Laura Pulscher from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science.

"Flying foxes may prefer to feed on introduced plants, as it makes it easier for them to meet their energy requirements in a shorter amount of time. They may also favor these plants as some - including papaya and Japanese cherry - fruit year-round on Christmas Island, when other food may be scarce. If this happens, flying foxes' nutritional requirements may not be met."

Pulscher explained that the flying foxes likely feed on fruit and nectar to meet their energy requirements, and pollen and native foliage like fig leaves to meet their protein and essential mineral needs. A diet that includes a variety of native food plants is nutritionally optimal.

The Christmas Island flying fox is critically endangered, with a population of just 3,800 individuals. This population has been dramatically reduced in recent decades as a result of human-induced habitat loss, invasive animal species, cadmium poisoning, and altered habitats.

When habitats are altered, they are often re-vegetated with introduced plant species like mango, banana, soursop, breadfruit, and Japanese cherry trees. The new study suggests that these introduced species may further threaten the survival of flying foxes by not meeting their nutritional needs. 

"Our findings suggest that preserving these animals' complex foraging habitats is key to their conservation," said Pulscher. "If they went extinct, not only would we lose a native mammal, but the local ecosystem would be devasted, as they are a key pollinator and seed disperser on the island."

The results of the study can be applied to all flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, that feed on native and introduced vegetation. 

"The study results also support the need to include analyses of animals' diets in conservation plans generally," said Pulscher. "Animals that could benefit from such analyses include endangered primates, like the Eastern lowland gorilla."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Invasive plants threaten the survival of flying foxes

A new study led by the University of Sydney has...

In an effort to tackle hidden hunger, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/?utm_source=GMB&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_campaign=MainUP">University of Nottingham</a> analyzed thousands of cereal grains and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-is-a-source-of-food-contamination/">soils</a> to test their nutritional value. The analysis revealed that the amount of nutrients people are getting from crops is a type of "postcode lottery."

The research is shedding new light on the relationship between soils, crops, and nutrient deficiencies.

"It is important to have good quality evidence on the nutritional quality of diets if we are going to support public health and agriculture policies to improve peoples' health and well-being," said Professor Martin Broadley. "Mapping the quality of diets is an important part of this evidence."

The study was focused on the grain of more than 3,000 cereal crop samples from farmers' fields in Ethiopia and Malawi. The experts found that the amount of the dietary micronutrients calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc in the cereal grain varied substantially by location, with some areas linked to much lower levels of micronutrients. 

While it is known that some crops are more nutritious than others, the soils and landscapes can also predict whether deficiencies are likely in an area. 

Micronutrient deficiencies, also known as hidden hunger, affect more than half of children younger than 5 years of age. These deficiencies are particularly prevalent in areas where access to sufficient food is limited for socioeconomic reasons. 

Hidden hunger is a serious risk to human health, impacting the growth and cognitive development of children. A diet that is lacking in nutritional value also increases the susceptibility to infectious diseases.

The new study suggests that location is fundamentally linked to the quality of diets, with the nutritional value of crops varying by location. Rural households who consume locally sourced food will be affected the most. 

Furthermore, the researchers noted that in many smallholder farming communities, location may be the largest influencing factor in determining the dietary intake of micronutrients.

"Nutritional surveillance work on the quality of staple cereals is an important part of wider public health policies to address micronutrient deficiencies and we hope that this type of work is now adopted in more countries," said Dr. Nalivata. 

"By learning more about how the nutritional quality of cereal grains is linked to soil types and landscapes, as we have in this study, we are now better able to advise farmers how to choose and cultivate more nutritious crops."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nutritional value of crops varies by location

In an effort to tackle hidden hunger, a team of...

The global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rewilding-the-ocean-will-help-mitigate-impacts-of-climate-change/">climate</a> goals defined in the Paris Agreement must be reevaluated to account for the consequences of accelerated Arctic warming, according to a new report from the <a href="https://www.woodwellclimate.org/">Woodwell Climate Research Center</a>.

More than five years ago, the Paris Agreement set specific standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming. More than 70 countries even went a step further by adopting ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions that exceed the commitments established in the treaty. 

But now, experts argue that these commitments are outdated because they do not consider the latest science on Arctic feedback loops associated with thawing permafrost. The researchers are calling for global leaders to rethink emissions goals.

"Arctic warming poses one of the greatests risks to our climate, yet it has not been adequately incorporated into existing climate projections and policies," said study lead author Dr. Sue Natali. "To build effective policy to address the climate crisis, it is essential that we recognize the full scope of the problem."

Rapid Arctic warming in the last decade is linked to record-breaking Siberian heatwaves, the loss of Arctic sea ice, extreme northern wildfires, and unexpected rates of permafrost thaw.

In particular, Arctic permafrost has been storing carbon for thousands of years. The permafrost contains approximately twice the amount of carbon that is currently in the Earth's atmosphere, and this carbon is being released into the atmosphere as it thaws. 

The carbon dioxide emissions from permafrost speed up the rate of warming, which leads to further thawing of the permafrost. This reinforcing feedback loop has the potential to exponentially increase carbon dioxide emissions.

The new report warns that current carbon budgets fail to account for the additional carbon dioxide emissions from permafrost, or for the dangerous feedback loops that result.

"Based on what we already know about abrupt thaw and wildfire, these feedback loops are likely to substantially exacerbate the permafrost thaw feedback and resulting carbon emissions," said study co-author Dr. Rachael Treharne. "Unless our models account for these anticipated effects, we'll be missing a major piece of the carbon puzzle."

In order to limit global warming to 1.5 or two degrees Celsius, as outlined by the Paris Agreement, the experts recommend for the latest science on Arctic carbon emissions to be incorporated into the climate models and carbon budgets used to inform policy. In addition, risk assessments must be updated to determine how quickly emissions must be reduced to meet global climate targets. 

"The science alone is not enough," said Dr. Philip Duffy. "We urgently need communication between scientific and policy communities to make sure our climate policies are effective in addressing the scale and scope of the climate crisis."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Arctic warming is not properly represented in climate targets

The global climate goals defined in the Paris Agreement must...

Colorful,Butterfly

A team of researchers at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> has found that tropical pollinators are more than 70 percent less abundant in areas with intensive agriculture compared to wild sites. The experts report that more sustainable agricultural practices are needed to prevent widespread losses of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-quarter-of-all-bees-no-longer-appear-in-public-records/">bees</a> and other valuable insects.

"Pollinating species are thought to be in decline globally due to combined pressures of habitat loss and climate change. Here, we found that pollinators in tropical regions are the most likely to decline as croplands continue to expand and intensify, and as animals in the tropics are also particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change," said study lead author Joe Millard.

The researchers set out to investigate the impact of various land-use types and intensities on pollinator biodiversity worldwide. The analysis was focused on 12,170 sites and 4,502 pollinating species, including insects, birds, and bats.

The study revealed that low levels of land use intensity appear to have beneficial effects for pollinators, even compared to natural vegetation. By contrast, the diversity of pollinator species suffered as the intensity of different land uses increased. 

In the tropics, species richness was reduced by 44 percent and total abundance of all pollinators combined decreased by 49 percent in high-intensity agricultural sites compared to natural vegetation. Furthermore, the overall abundance of tropical pollinators declined by at least 70 percent in high-intensity croplands.

"More than three quarters of globally important food crops are at least partly reliant on animal pollination, including nuts, berries, and fruits grown in tropical areas," said study senior author Dr. Tim Newbold.

"Croplands are expected to continue expanding rapidly in the tropics, which could pose a serious risk to local pollinators. As a result, we may see reduced yields of the many tropical crops that depend on animal pollination."

"Agricultural land management needs to take a long-term outlook to avoid harming pollinators. While maintaining wilderness spaces, so that not all land in a region is given over to human uses, is vital, agriculture can also be done more sustainably without reducing crop yields."

According to Dr. Newbold, this could mean planting different crops close together, using biocontrol agents instead of insecticides to control pests, planting hedgerows, or agroforestry. He added that consumers can also play their part by choosing more sustainably farmed products.

"Our finding that low intensity urban areas, like villages and green spaces, actually had greater pollinator biodiversity than wilderness areas, shows that urban areas can be good habitats for pollinators, with careful management," explained Millard. "Planting flowers in gardens, without using insecticides, can help out our local pollinators."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tropical pollinators are suffering from high-intensity agriculture

A team of researchers at University College London has found...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.stevens.edu/">Stevens Institute of Technology</a> have investigated the economic impacts of Hurricane Sandy that can be tied to human-caused <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-third-of-food-production-threatened-by-climate-change/">climate</a> change. The researchers found that sea level rise is responsible for $8.1 billion in damages, and caused an additional 71,000 people and 36,000 homes to be exposed to flooding from the hurricane.

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the northeast U.S. coast, causing destruction that is estimated at $62.7 billion. The new study links 13 percent of the storm's damages to human-induced sea level rise.

"This study is the first to isolate the human-contributed sea level rise effects during a coastal storm and put a dollar sign to the additional flooding damage," said study co-author Professor Philip Orton. 

"With coastal flooding increasingly impacting communities and causing widespread destruction, pinpointing the financial toll and the lives affected by climate change will hopefully add urgency to our efforts to reduce it."

According to the research, human-caused climate warming had raised the sea level in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut by roughly four inches over the century preceding the storm. This empowered the storm to penetrate further inland, increasing the amount of flooding and damage to structures.

The researchers hope to apply the approach used in this study to investigate the costs of human-caused sea level rise in other regions, such as the Gulf of Mexico.

"If we were to calculate the costs of climate change across all flooding events - both nuisance floods and those caused by extreme storm events - that figure would be enormous," said Orton. "It would provide clarity on the severe damage we are inflicting on ourselves and our planet."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

$8.1 billion in Hurricane Sandy damages linked to human activity

Experts at the Stevens Institute of Technology have investigated the...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a> have identified plant genes that can be used to protect tomatoes and other crops from the damaging effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/african-rainforests-are-surprisingly-resilient-to-heat-and-drought/">drought</a>. Discoveries made in this study could ultimately help crops survive the hotter, drier climate that is projected for Earth's future.

Over the last ten years, the research team has been constructing a molecular map of crop roots, which is where the effects of drought are first detected by plants. 

The researchers gained an exceptional understanding of root functions by combining genetic data from different cells of tomatoes grown both indoors and outdoors.

"Frequently, researchers do lab and greenhouse experiments, but farmers grow things in the field, and this data looks at field samples too," said study co-author Professor Neelima Sinha.

The study unveiled the plant genes that control the development of three key things, including the xylem - vessels that transport water and nutrients from the roots all the way up to the shoots. 

"Xylem are very important to shore up plants against drought as well as salt and other stresses," said lead study author Professor Siobhan Brady.

The second key set of genes that have been identified by the team are those that regulate the production of lignin and suberin in an outer layer of the root. Suberin surrounds plant cells in a thick layer, holding in water during drought.

Crops like tomatoes and rice have suberin in their roots, while apples have suberin surrounding their outer cells. No matter where it is found, suberin prevents the plant from losing water. 

"Suberin and lignin are natural forms of drought protection, and now that the genes that encode for them in this very specific layer of cells have been identified, these compounds can be enhanced," said study co-author Professor Julia Bailey-Serres.

"I'm excited we've learned so much about the genes regulating this moisture barrier layer. It is so important for being able to improve drought tolerance for crops."

The meristem is a region of plant tissue at the growing tip of each root. This tissue contains all the cells that make up the root. According to the study, the genes that encode for a plant's meristem are very similar between tomato, rice, and Arabidopsis, a weed-like model plant. 

"It's the region that's going to make the rest of the root, and serves as its stem cell niche," said Professor Bailey-Serres. "It dictates the properties of the roots themselves, such as how big they get. Having knowledge of it can help us develop better root systems."

Professor Brady explained that when farmers are interested in a particular crop, they select plants that have features they can see, such as bigger, more attractive fruits. It is much more difficult for breeders to select plants with properties below ground.

"The 'hidden half' of a plant, below ground, is critical for breeders to consider if they want to grow a plant successfully," said Professor Brady. "Being able to modify the meristem of a plant's roots will help us engineer crops with more desirable properties."

While the current study was focused on only three plants, the researchers believe that the findings can be applied more broadly.

"Tomato and rice are separated by more than 125 million years of evolution, yet we still see similarities between the genes that control key characteristics," said Professor Bailey-Serres. "It's likely these similarities hold true for other crops too."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plant genes identified that could protect crops from drought

Scientists at UC Davis have identified plant genes that can...

The central-western part of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lack-of-fresh-snowfall-causes-greenland-to-melt-faster/">Greenland</a> ice sheet appears to be approaching a critical temperature threshold, according to a new study. The researchers have found early warning signals that this region of Greenland has already become unstable, and a tipping point may be soon lead to accelerated melting. 

"We have found evidence that the central-western part of the Greenland ice sheet has been destabilizing and is now close to a critical transition," said study lead author Niklas Boers of the <a href="https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/home">Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research</a> (PIK). "Our results suggest there will be substantially enhanced melting in the future - which is quite worrying."

The overall stability of Greenland ice can be measured by the "melt-elevation feedback," which is the interaction between surface elevation and surface melting. As the surface of the ice melts, it sinks into lower, warmer air in a vicious cycle that further accelerates melting.

"This mechanism is long known, and it is one of the prime suspects for the detected destabilization of the central-western parts of the Greenland ice sheet. But we cannot exclude that other feedbacks, for example related to the albedo of the ice sheet, play an important role too," explained Boers.

In collaboration with study co-author Martin Rypdal from the Arctic University of Norway, Boers analyzed a combination of sea-level temperatures from weather stations, melt intensities from ice cores in central-west Greenland, and corresponding computer model simulations. The analysis revealed early warning signs in the fluctuations of ice sheet heights. 

"The warning signs are caused by characteristic changes in the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet, which reflect how well the ice sheet can resist against and recover from disruptions," said Rypdal.

Previous modeling studies have shown that irreversible melting in Greenland is inevitable beyond a global average temperature rise of 0.8 to 3.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Once the threshold is crossed, the whole ice sheet could melt entirely over hundreds or thousands of years.

In addition to the reinforcing feedbacks that accelerate melting, there are negative feedbacks that could stabilize the Greenland ice sheet at intermediate heights levels, explained the study authors. 

"We urgently need to better understand the interplay of the different positive and negative feedback mechanisms that determine the current stability and the future evolution of the ice sheet," said Boers.

"The main problem is the so-called hysteresis. Regardless of the precise interplay of the different feedbacks, we would have to considerably reduce temperatures below pre-industrial to get back to the ice sheet height levels of the last centuries." 

"So practically, the current and near-future mass loss will be largely irreversible. That's why it is high time we rapidly and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and re-stabilize the ice sheet and our climate."

"Given the signs we detect in ice cores from the central-western part, we have to increase our efforts to gather more observation and to increase our understanding of the mechanisms at play, for more reliable estimates of the future evolution of the Greenland ice sheet," said Rypdal. 

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Greenland ice sheet is approaching a critical transition

The central-western part of the Greenland ice sheet appears to...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> has revealed that, before they vanished from Earth, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/anteosaurus-was-a-killing-machine-millions-of-years-before-the-dinosaurs/">dinosaurs</a> were not the main competitors of modern mammals. The research indicates that distinct mammal groups were in greater competition with each other. 

"There were lots of exciting types of mammals in the time of dinosaurs that included gliding, swimming and burrowing species, but none of these mammals belonged to modern groups, they all come from earlier branches in the mammal tree." said study co-author Dr.  Elsa Panciroli, a researcher from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. 

"These other kinds of mammals mostly became extinct at the same time as the non-avian dinosaurs, at which point modern mammals start to become larger, explore new diets and ways of life." 

"From our research it looks like before the extinction it was the earlier radiations of mammals that kept the modern mammals out of these exciting ecological roles by outcompeting them."

Most of the modern mammal species have origins in groups that expanded in a big way 66 million years ago, after a mass extinction wiped out non-avian dinosaurs. It has been widely assumed that mammals lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs prior to the extinction event. 

Mammals were thought to have been held back by the dinosaurs, remaining small and unspecialized in terms of diet and lifestyle. It appeared that mammals did not begin to thrive until the niches of dinosaurs were made available after the extinction. 

But now, the Oxford team has used new statistical methods to identify the evolutionary "limits" placed on different groups of mammals. The results suggest that closely related mammals were placing the biggest constraints on each other, and not the dinosaurs.

The researchers analyzed the anatomy of all the different mammals which lived alongside dinosaurs, including the ancestors of modern groups, also known as therians. The team examined how frequently new features appeared, such as changes in the size and shape of their teeth and bones, and the pattern and timing of their appearance before and after the mass extinction.

Based on the analysis, the researchers determined that modern mammals were more constrained during the time of the dinosaurs than their close relatives. In other words therians were being shut out of certain niches as their relatives explored larger body sizes, different diets, and new strategies such as climbing and gliding.

"This result makes very little sense if you assume that it was the dinosaurs constraining the therians," said Dr. Neil Brocklehurst, who led the research. "There is no reason why the dinosaurs would be selectively competing with just these mammals and allowing others to prosper. It instead appears that the therians were being held back by these other groups of mammals."

According to the experts, the extinction of other mammals helped the most to pave the way for the success of modern mammals.

"Most of the mammals that lived alongside the dinosaurs were less than 100g in body mass - that's smaller than any non-bird dinosaur. Therefore, these smallest mammals would probably not have been directly competing with dinosaurs," said study co-author Dr. Gemma Benevento.

Despite this, small mammals show diversity increases after the extinction which are just as profound as those seen in larger mammals, explained Dr. Benevento. 

"Palaeontology is undergoing a revolution. We have greatly expanded the toolkit available to analyse large datasets and directly test our ideas about evolution," said Dr. Brocklehurst. "Most studies of the mammal radiation have focused on how fast they evolved, but analysing what limits there were on the evolution provides new perspectives. We have had to rethink many of our theories using these state-of-the-art approaches."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dinosaurs did not hold modern mammals back from evolving

A new study from the University of Oxford has revealed...

A new big data study from <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">UNSW Sydney</a> has calculated that there are 50 billion birds in the world, which is about six birds for every <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-and-livestock-create-the-perfect-storm-for-pandemics/">human</a>. By combining citizen scientist observations with detailed algorithms, the experts estimated the number of birds that belong to 9,700 different bird species worldwide.

The researchers found that many iconic Australian birds are numbered in the millions, including 19 million Rainbow Lorikeets and 10 moon Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. By contrast, the rare Black-breasted Buttonquail is down to around 100 individuals.

"Humans have spent a great deal of effort counting the members of our own species - all 7.8 billion of us," said study co-senior author Professor Will Cornwell. "This is the first comprehensive effort to count a suite of other species."

The study was focused on almost a billion bird sightings documented on eBird, an online database of bird observations from citizen scientists. The researchers developed an algorithm to analyze the data and estimate the global population of each species.

"While this study focuses on birds, our large-scale data integration approach could act as a blueprint for calculating species-specific abundances for other groups of animals," said study lead author Dr. Corey Callaghan.

"Quantifying the abundance of a species is a crucial first step in conservation. By properly counting what's out there, we learn what species might be vulnerable and can track how these patterns change over time - in other words, we can better understand our baselines."

The dataset included records for 92 percent of all existing bird species. The experts noted that it is unlikely the remaining 8 percent, which are extremely rare,  would have much impact on the estimate.

Four bird species belong to what the researchers call "the billion club," which are species with an estimated global population of over a billion. The House Sparrow came out on top with 1.6 billion individuals, followed by the European Starling, the Ring-billed Gull, and the Barn Swallow.

"It was surprising that only a few species dominate the total number of individual birds in the world," said Dr. Callaghan. "What is it about those species, evolutionarily, that has made them so hyper-successful?"

Overall, about 12 percent of bird species analyzed for the study have an estimated global population of less than 5,000, including the Chinese Crested Tern, Noisy Scrub-bird, and Invisible Rail.

"We'll be able to tell how these species are faring by repeating the study in five or 10 years," said Professor Cornwell. "If their population numbers are going down, it could be a real alarm bell for the health of our ecosystem."

The study was made possible with the help of more than 600,000 citizen scientists who recorded their sightings in the eBird dataset between 2010 and 2019. The eBird site is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the data is freely available.

"Large global citizen science databases such as eBird are revolutionising our ability to study macroecology," said Professor Cornwell. "This type of data simply wasn't available a decade ago."

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Birds outnumber people six to one with a global population of 50 billion

A new big data study from UNSW Sydney has calculated...

Scientists at the <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> have tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deciduous-trees-can-offset-carbon-emissions-from-forest-fires/">trees</a> in 100 different tropical rainforests across six African countries. The study revealed that African rainforests continued to remove carbon from the atmosphere despite the extreme heat and drought of the last major El Niño event.

In 2015 and 2016, African rainforests experienced the strongest drought on record, driven by both El Niño conditions and climate change.

The researchers were surprised to find that the forests still managed to take up 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year during the El Niño monitoring period. To put this in perspective, this rate is equivalent to three times the carbon dioxide emissions of the UK in 2019.

"We saw no sharp slowdown of tree growth, nor a big rise in tree deaths, as a result of the extreme climatic conditions," said study lead author Dr. Amy Bennett.

"Overall, the uptake of carbon dioxide by these intact rainforests reduced by 36%, but they continued to function as a carbon sink, slowing the rate of climate change."

The study showed that the biggest trees in the forest were largely unaffected, while smaller trees grew less and died more during El Niño. Despite the negative effects, African rainforests continued to function as a carbon sink. The impacts on smaller trees were not enough to offset the long-term increase in overall tree biomass that has been observed in the forests over the last three decades.

"These findings show the value of careful long-term monitoring of tropical forests," said study senior author Professor Simon Lewis. "The baseline data running back to the 1980s allowed us to evaluate how well these rainforests coped with record heat and drought."

Rainforests in Asia and the Amazon did not respond as well to the drought and heat of past extreme weather events. These regions experienced substantially slower tree growth and much greater tree mortality, and the conditions led to a temporary reversal of the tropical forest carbon sink.

"Our results highlight just how important it is to protect African rainforests - they are providing valuable services to us all," said study co-author Professor Bonaventure Sonké. "The resistance of intact African tropical forests to a bit more heat and drought than they have experienced in the past is welcome news. But we still need to cut carbon dioxide emissions fast, as our forests will probably only resist limited further rises in air temperature."

Dr. Bennett noted that African tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle, absorbing 1.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year in the 2000s.

"To discover that they will be able to tolerate the predicted conditions of the near future is an unusual source of optimism in climate change science," said Dr. Bennett.

"Our results provide a further incentive to keep global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, as these forests look to be able to withstand limited increases in temperature and drought."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

African rainforests are surprisingly resilient to heat and drought

Scientists at the University of Leeds have tracked trees in...

A lack of fresh snowfall is causing Greenland to become warmer, according to a new study from <a href="https://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth College</a>. The experts report that a weather pattern is pushing snowfall away from parts of Greenland's ice sheet. As a result, older and darker snow is exposed that does not reflect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunlight-may-provide-millions-with-safe-drinking-water/">sunlight</a> as well as fresh snow.  

"As snow ages, even over hours to a few days, you get this reduction in reflectivity, and that's why the fresh snow is so important," explained Professor Erich Osterberg, the principal investigator of the study.

Without light-colored snow on its surface, the ice sheet loses its reflectivity, or albedo, and absorbs more heat from the sun. 

The researchers determined that the lack of snowfall has been driven by "atmospheric blocking." This is characterized by persistent high-pressure systems that can hover over a region for weeks at a time.

Blocking events have increased over Greenland since the mid-1990s, pushing snowstorms to the north and holding warmer air over Western Greenland. The systems also reduce light-blocking cloud cover.

"It's like a triple whammy effect," said Professor Osterberg. "This all contributes to Greenland melting faster and faster."

The researchers noted that the result of warmer air is not just less snowfall, but also an entirely different type of snow exposed on the surface.

As snowflakes melt, they become rounded and less reflective. This causes the snow surface to become darker. The experts found that a one percent change in reflectivity across Greenland's ice sheet could cause an additional 25 gigatons of ice to be lost over three years.

"Fresh snow looks like what you would draw in a kindergarten class or cut from a piece of paper - it's got all these really sharp points, and that's because it's extremely cold in the atmosphere when the snow falls," said study first author Gabriel Lewis.

"Once it falls and sits on the surface of the ice sheet in the sun, it changes shape and the snow grains become larger over time."

According to the study, the Greenland ice sheet has warmed by about 2.7 degrees Celsius since 1982. The continent is experiencing the greatest melt rates in at least 450 years, and these rates are likely the fastest in the last 7,000 years.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lack of fresh snowfall causes Greenland to melt faster

A lack of fresh snowfall is causing Greenland to become...

Decades after the Griffon Vulture vanished from its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-bonds-are-key-to-breeding-success-among-pelicans/">breeding</a> ground in the Eastern Balkan Mountains, the bird has made a remarkable return to the region, according to a study published by <a href="https://pensoft.net/">Pensoft</a>.  

Three local conservation organizations, including the <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/policy-insight/species/birds-of-prey-in-the-uk/why-should-we-protect-birds-of-prey/">Birds of Prey Protection Society</a>, have been working on a long-term restoration program to bring vultures back to their former breeding range in Bulgaria since 2009.

"The Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus is a Western Palearctic cliff-nesting social obligate scavenger and one of the largest birds of prey in Europe. It used to be widespread and numerous in Bulgaria up to the 1940s, but became less frequently observed and likely became extinct as a breeding species around the 1970s," wrote the researchers.

"The Eastern Balkan Mountains and the area of the town of Kotel were amongst the last sites where breeding of the species was reported."

Between 2009 and 2020, a total of 153 Griffon Vultures were tagged and released from five sites in Bulgaria. The first successful reproduction was reported as early as 2016. 

By December of 2020, the local population had grown to more than 80 permanently present individuals, including about 25 breeding pairs and more than 30 chicks.

"Why vultures of all creatures? Because they were exterminated, yet provide an amazing service for people and healthy ecosystems," explained Elena Kmetova-Biro, initial project manager for the Green Balkans NGO.

According to the experts, many of the vultures were killed shortly after release  due to electrocution. 

"The birds predominantly forage on feeding sites, where the team provides dead domestic animals collected from local owners and slaughterhouses," said the researchers.

"We, however, consider the establishment phase of the reintroduction of Griffon Vulture in this particular site as successfully completed."

"The population is still dependent on conservation measures (supplementary feeding, isolation of dangerous power lines and accidental poisoning prevention), but the area of the Eastern Balkan Mountains can currently be regarded as a one of the only seven existing general areas for the species in the mainland Balkan Peninsula and one of the five which serve as population source sites."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bdj.pensoft.net/">Biodiversity Data Journal</a>.

---

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Griffon Vultures have made a remarkable recovery in Bulgaria

Decades after the Griffon Vulture vanished from its breeding ground...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Santiago, Chile in South America

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Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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